Whitemead Forest Park

View prices & book 9.3 375 reviews
Aerial shot of the hardstanding and the tent pitches
Aerial shot of the hardstanding and the tent pitches
Pool
Pool
Well-spaced pitches
Lodge
Apartment exteriors
Apartments
Camping pods
1/197
Pool
Pool
Well-spaced pitches

  • Well-equipped park just outside Parkend in the Forest of Dean
  • Puzzlewood and Clearwell Caves within a 10-minute drive
  • Indoor swimming pool, spa area, restaurant and kids' activities
As you’d expect from the name, Whitemead Forest Park is surrounded by woodland. And not just any old woodland... but the age-old Forest of Dean, one-time stamping ground of the royals and their pals. It’s not hard to see why the regal types would flock to this part of Gloucestershire – the surrounds are most scenic, and packed with plenty of things to do including days of wandering among ancient trees (on foot, on bikes or on horseback), exploring spooky caves and riding rural railways. So far, so peaceful… and that vibe is stretched out to the park’s facilities too, which include a free gym, sauna, steam room and spa pools. And if you’re in charge of kids that have more active plans in mind? Such scenarios are sorted too: the indoor swimming pool has a kids’ area, and there are also several outdoor play areas scattered around the site. Through the summer holidays, the park’s all abuzz with various activities they can join in with (for an extra charge). Despite all this activity, there’s little chance of going hungry here – the restaurant serves all day from breakfast to dinner (via afternoon tea…) with a couple of bars also on hand to provide the drinks and entertainment. If you’d like to venture out, there are a couple of pubs in the nearby village of Parkend (10 minutes’ walk) and lots of restaurants and shops in Lydney (10 minutes’ drive).

Site type

Lodges, cabins, pods or huts 88
Caravan sites 71
Tent sites 30
Motorhome sites 71
Open now
Opens 17 January

Tourist board rating

Please note
  • Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
  • The campground/park does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dog Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
  • No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
  • Bookings must not be for more than 21 consecutive nights.
  • At least one of the party members must be aged 21 or over.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 17 Jan 2025 to

Open from Fri, 16 Jan 2026 to

Pitch types & availability

Accommodation

Tent sitesCaravan sitesMotorhome sitesLodges, cabins, pods or hutsCaravans for hireRent a tent
Choose your dates
2 adults
0 children

Reviews

9.3

Overall rating from 375 Pitchup.com customers

  • 72%
    10
  • 2%
    9
  • 19%
    8
  • 0%
    7
  • 3%
    6
  • 0%
    5
  • 0%
    4
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    3
  • 1%
    2
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    1
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 9
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 7
Bush

95% would recommend this site to a friend

92% would stay here again

What customers say

Great facilities incl. pool, spa, restaurant with tasty, affordable food. Clean, modern amenities, spacious, level pitches, and lovely woodland walks. Staff are friendly and helpful. Some found it busy with minor Wi-Fi/noise issues, but most loved it and plan to return.

Summary AI-generated from Pitchup.com customer reviews

Reviews page 1 of 38
Arrival date (latest first)

Excellent site

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Paula P.

Powered gravel and concrete caravan site

Liked The spacious pitch, the swimming pool, bar and restaurant

Disliked Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely location. Very in touch with nature whilst having plenty to do

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 5
Jason H.

Powered gravel and concrete caravan site

Liked Entertainment programme. Spacious and well tended site

Disliked Limited toilet facilities for large volume of touring pitches. Some activities were quite highly priced (£10 for slime-making?). No sports competitions for kids.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Site and facilities,however toilets were filthy 😔 also never saw a site…

Overall

6 out of 10
Location
 8
Value for money
 2
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 2
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 1
Wifi
 1
steve b.

Powered gravel and concrete caravan site

Liked Site and facilities,however toilets were filthy 😔 also never saw a site warden all the time were there. Kids running riot on bikes a e scooters not set up for touring Great for families but not for us.

Disliked All

Recommend to friends Visit again

Would go again kids loved it

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 6
Wifi
 3
Katrina D.

Powered gravel and concrete caravan site

Liked Well kept site
Lots of entertainment for the children
Fantastic pool excellent don’t need to book in advance
Food reasonable and nice
Staff were friendly
Lovely flat pitches
Dog friendly except can’t take into main buildings

Disliked Think there was a issue with the toilet plumbing as toilets not flushing properly
Constantly dirty as paper not flushed away

Children cycling around or on roller blades at speed with no regard for their own safety or that of others.

Didn’t like putting my awning up on hard gravel

Could do with more toilets blocks for the amount of people staying there

Wi-Fi poor

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site, clean facilities and excellent level pitches.

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 8
Customer service
 8
Child friendliness
 8
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 8
Anonymous

Powered gravel and concrete caravan site

Liked Loved what the site had to offer and would book again in the future but might wait until my son is a little older so he can do more of the activities.

Disliked Nothing but shame there was no soft play area for little ones onsite.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent site with fantastic facilities.

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 10
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 10
Naomi W.

Powered gravel and concrete caravan site

Liked Fantastic facilities and location. The swimming pool is so greeting, bubble pool, steam room and sauna really made this holiday special too. The lifeguards also really attentive and helped me relax knowing they were watching my kids. Play grounds, mini golf, football goals, cafe…. Really relaxing break as didn’t need to leave campsite to have a fab time. Forest right next to site also amazing with rope swings, stream to swim in, mountain biking.

Disliked The gravel pitch was not good for putting up the tent.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Enjoyable stay, will be back.

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 8
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 10
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 10
Wifi
 8
Gordon D.

Powered gravel and concrete caravan site

Liked Very clean site, Very good amenities, shop, bar, pool, sauna, local walks, central location.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Level pitches with the site very clean..

Overall

10 out of 10
Location
 10
Value for money
 9
Accommodation
 10
Facilities / Activities
 10
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 10
Cleanliness
 9
Wifi
 No rating
Gary G.

The Mead powered gravel and concrete campervan, tent or trailer tent site

Liked Short and sweet an absolutely fantastic place and a haven for dog walkers in the woods surrounding the park.

Disliked Nothing.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Clean Swimming pool Clean facilities Friendly staff Lots to do Walks off site Very dog friendly Nice…

Overall

7 out of 10
Location
 7
Value for money
 7
Accommodation
 No rating
Facilities / Activities
 7
Customer service
 7
Child friendliness
 7
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 10
Anonymous

Powered gravel and concrete caravan site

Liked Clean Swimming pool
Clean facilities
Friendly staff
Lots to do
Walks off site
Very dog friendly
Nice food

Disliked Playground more for younger children
Ice cream truck not open everyday even though it was a very hot week
No entertainment on even though we came in mid July in our school holidays

Recommend to friends Visit again

Access to nice cycle/walking routes. Good range of facilities. Variety of types…

Overall

9 out of 10
Location
 9
Value for money
 6
Accommodation
 8
Facilities / Activities
 9
Customer service
 9
Child friendliness
 9
Cleanliness
 8
Wifi
 9
Anonymous

Mega camping pod (no pets)

Liked Access to nice cycle/walking routes. Good range of facilities. Variety of types of accommodation. Great for kids. Friendly staff.

Disliked It’s obviously a popular site as the facilities felt very busy - particularly the swimming pool which was understandable as it was a very hot weekend.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Features

Dogs allowed

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Hot tub Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site cafe On-site restaurant On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Toddler's pool Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Car parking by site/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Laundry Off licence Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Picnic table Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Rallies welcome Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Bush Gastronomic delight Peaceful Remote location Spectacular scenery Walkers' paradise Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Communal freezer Dump point Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Convenience store nearby Dog walk nearby Public transport nearby

Type

Large (51-200 sites)

Accessibility

Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible shower Bathrooms: Wheelchair accessible toilet

Nearby leisure

Canoeing/kayaking nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Mountain biking nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Tennis nearby Watersports nearby

Touring and motorhomes

Motorhome service point Water hook-up points for caravans

Location

Whitemead Forest Park

Parkend

Lydney

Gloucestershire

England

GL15 4LA

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London +0100 (GMT+01:00)

GPS

51.76784°N
2.56431°W

Nearest transport

Coach
11.7 km Bus Station
16.2 km Bus Station
16.3 km Cantilupe Road
Rail
6.4 km Lydney Rail Station
15.2 km Cam & Dursley Rail Station
16 km Chepstow Rail Station
Ferry
7.4 km Sharpness Old Docks
7.5 km Lydney Harbour
30.9 km Bristol Docks Ferry Landing
Airport
31.3 km Gloucestershire Airport
43.6 km Bristol International Airport

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

For those seeking a bit of peace and quiet, there are stacks of splendid trails around the Forest of Dean to ramble or ride bikes along (and a bike hire place a few minutes’ walk away in Parkend if you need it). Should the kids demand more from their woodland outings, take them along to seek out dragons and unicorns along the themed trails at Puzzlewood, or launch themselves into the air on the ziplines and high ropes courses at Go Ape; both are 10 minutes away by car. Much of the area’s attraction is linked to its natural good looks, but there’s also manmade interest in the form of the miners’ caverns at Clearwell Caves and the puffing steam trains of the Dean Forest Railway (both 10 minutes' drive). In the unlikely event that you tire of this scenery, head west to the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for days visiting Goodrich Castle (20 minutes) and the Wye Valley Butterfly Zoo (25 minutes), or canoeing from Symonds Yat (25 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name Distance Type 2020201920182017
Clevedon Beach 42.2 km Estuary N/AGoodGoodGood

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

WWT Slimbridge Wetlands Centre 11.4 km

Berkeley Castle 11.5 km

Caldicot Castle & Country Park 11.5 km

Goodrich Castle 12 km

Chepstow Castle 15.8 km

National Trust

The Kymin 9.8 km

Westbury Court Garden 12.1 km

Skenfrith Castle 20 km

Woodchester Park 20.7 km

Newark Park 22.6 km

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

Parkend - Oakenhill Wood - Moseley Green - Church Hill - Parkend 0.2 km

Parkend - Cannop Ponds - Nag's Head RSPB Reserve - Parkend 0.2 km

Nagshead Visitor Centre - RSPB Reserve - Nagshead Visitor Centre 0.8 km

Nagsgead RSPB Reserve - Cannop Ponds - Speech House 0.8 km

NAGSHEAD (CURRENT BOUNDARY FROM 23/09/2003) 1.3 km

Local events

  • Bristol International Balloon Fiesta (Friday, 8 August 2025 – Friday, 8 August 2025)

    Bristol, England 36.8 km

  • Green Man Festival (Thursday, 14 August 2025 – Thursday, 14 August 2025)

    Crickhowell, Wales 43.5 km

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Want to know more about camping in Gloucestershire?

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Whitemead Forest Park have a swimming pool? Yes View all features
  • Is Whitemead Forest Park dog friendly? No View all features
  • What attractions are near Whitemead Forest Park? For those seeking a bit of peace and quiet, there are stacks of splendid trails around the Forest of Dean to ramble or ride bikes along (and a bike hire place a … Read more
  • When can I check in and check out of Whitemead Forest Park?
    Camping and caravan
    Arrive:  2 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  11 a.m.
    On-site accommodation
    Arrive:  3 p.m. –  7 p.m.
    Depart by:  10 a.m.
    Read more
  • How much does it cost to stay at Whitemead Forest Park? From $62.71 (for 1 night, 6 people) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.